New Teammate

New Teammate

The air in the Hokage Office was stagnant and heavy, as though it could be wrung dry.

The faint light filtering through the window cut diagonally through the tobacco smoke hanging in the air, rendering Hiruzen Sarutobi's face indistinct amid the haze.

Shimura Danzō's voice was low and certain, like a cold stone dropped into still water. "Hiruzen, that injury report is there in black and white. A penetrating wound of that severity, blood loss, ruptured organs... theoretically, survival was impossible."

His withered fingers tapped the Konoha Hospital report spread across the desk, his knuckles striking the paper with a dull echo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, the embers in his pipe flickering uncertainly in the dim light.

They both understood without speaking. That report described a path leading to the underworld, yet the boy who should have been lying beneath the Memorial Stone was walking alive under the sun. A vague, weighty answer lingered like the smell of smoke in the room, impossible to disperse.

Most of the Senju clan's techniques were stored in Konoha's forbidden technique archive, contributed by the Second Hokage Tobirama. After the Senju disbanded, there might have been some new techniques left behind, but for one capable of keeping Shuji alive, the danger must have been so great that Toka had not made her choice until the very last moment. What it was was not difficult to guess.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe. The pungent smoke swirled through his lungs as he looked at Danzo through the haze. "What are you trying to say?" His tone was calm, without a trace of emotion.

"He is not suited to lead Uchiha Itachi." Danzo went straight to the heart of it without the slightest detour. "Hand Uchiha Itachi over to me." His goal was naked and unmistakable; Shuji was merely the bait.

Danzo's true target had always been that Uchiha prodigy, Itachi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that clearly.

"Impossible." His voice was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. Even if Itachi were transferred into the Anbu for special training, there was no way he would be allowed to fall into Root's hands. "Fugaku will not accept it." He pointed out the crux of the matter.

Every Root member had a Cursed Seal planted on them. Their lives, deaths, honor, and disgrace all rested on Danzo's whim.

Ordinary Uchiha clan members already regarded Root as something to be feared, much less the clan head's son—the genius in whom the Uchiha clan had placed such high hopes!

"There is no need for Uchiha Fugaku to know." Danzo's voice carried a cold confidence, as though manipulating people's hearts were the most natural thing in the world. "I have a way to make Uchiha Itachi... join willingly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe struck the edge of the desk with a heavy knock, scattering a few sparks. "No."

"They are already making their move!" Danzo's voice suddenly rose.

Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath, as though he wanted to exhale the oppression in his chest along with the smoke. The curling haze briefly obscured the weariness and heaviness in his eyes.

"Kumogakure has sent signals for peace talks," he said, changing the subject. "Resolving this is the most urgent matter."

Danzo gave a short, cold snort through his nose, but ultimately continued along the Third Hokage's line of thought. "After the last operation failed, Kumogakure has indeed lowered its banners along the border."

"The village is nearly unable to endure it as well." Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly stated the reality, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the warm pipe.

The three-year deadlock at the border had brought Kumogakure more than just casualty figures from the front lines.

The Land of Lightning was mountainous, with little flat land. To pursue economic gains, its limited farmland had been planted with large quantities of cash crops. After relations with the Land of Fire deteriorated, food trade between the Land of Lightning and the countries within Konoha's sphere of influence had nearly been cut off.

On the surface, Konoha was merely a military mercenary organization. It could not even interfere in the Land of Fire's government affairs, much less make demands of other nations.

However, Shimura Danzō's Root was never bound by such superficial etiquette. They struck everywhere, not only intercepting and eliminating every merchant caravan attempting to head for the Land of Lightning, but also turning those "spoils" into supplies to support Konoha.

With overland trade routes completely paralyzed, the Land of Lightning could only rely on sea transport. Food prices soared, essential goods became scarce, and civilians' standards of living plummeted. Even though Kumogakure could barely maintain frontline supplies through its reserves, complaints had already filled the rear. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning had repeatedly contacted the Raikage.

The Kumogakure ambush that had wiped out Shuji's squad had been the final struggle of a force at the end of its rope. After its failure, Kumogakure's silence was proof that it had exhausted its strength.

Konoha, on the other hand, did not lack food or supplies, but years of war had become a heavy grindstone, wearing away at the villagers' patience and hope.

War-weariness spread silently like wildfire.

Kumogakure had extended an olive branch. Konoha, too, had fought this war of attrition to its limit.

"The village has been short on manpower these past few years, and too many commissions have piled up. Around the Land of Woods and Chujie Port, wandering ninja have multiplied, and order has become somewhat chaotic." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice returned to its businesslike chill. "Root, send people to take a look first. Stabilize the situation."

"I will arrange it." Danzo accepted, no emotion audible in his voice.

Leaning on his cane, he turned. His loose robes stirred a faintly chilly breeze. Two Root ninja wearing animal masks, their presences as still as dead water, silently emerged from the shadows and followed behind him.

The heavy doors of the Hokage Office were pulled open, and the bright corridor lights flooded in at once, briefly scattering the gloom and smoke within. In that instant where light and shadow crossed, Danzo came face-to-face with Shuji, who was about to knock and enter.

"Advisor." Shuji stopped and gave a slight nod in greeting, his voice calm and even.

Shimura Danzō did not pause in the slightest.

His hawk-like eye, sunk deep in its socket, swept sharply and coldly over Shuji's body, as though it sought to pierce his flesh and inspect every secret hidden beneath.

In the end, the advisor merely gave a soft, meaningless "Hm" through his nose. Carrying that lingering chill with him, he vanished with the two Root ninja at the end of the corridor like three shadows melting into the walls.

Only after watching the three figures completely disappear into the darkness at the corridor's end did Shuji withdraw his gaze and push open the Hokage Office door.

The scent of tobacco mixed with old paper rushed toward him. He walked to the large desk and gently set down the paper bag he had prepared, containing records of his mission history and personal information from recent years.

"Lord Hokage." His voice broke the brief silence in the room.

The gravity and fatigue on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face seemed to have been deliberately restrained somewhat. He set down his pipe and looked at Shuji with an elder's warmth. "You're here. As for the letters of recommendation..." He opened a drawer. "Hayami, Kachi, and the others have already sent them over." He took out two sealed scrolls and placed them at the corner of the desk. "The assessment mission has been set as a specialized evaluation of ninjutsu ability. Your mastery of escape techniques has always been outstanding. So there should be no problem, right?"

"Yes. I will prepare properly." Shuji's reply was crisp and direct, without unnecessary words.

"Also," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, seeming to recall something. He pulled a thin file from the drawer and handed it over. "Regarding a member for your squad. This child... for certain special reasons, the village has not yet assigned her to a suitable team. After considering it, I believe joining your squad may be the right fit."

Shuji accepted the file, his eyes falling on the photograph on the profile page.

A girl with short purple hair came into view. Her eyes held a trace of untamed wildness, and her lips seemed to curve with casual indifference.

Mitaraishi Anko.

(End of Chapter)